Hearings that could help the U.S. Supreme Court decide the future of same-sex marriage in the United States are set for this week.

But the court’s decision, expected to come in a ruling in June following hearings March 26 and March 27, can’t come soon enough for Kevin Young, senior pastor at St. John’s United Methodist Church.

“I just think it’s time,” he said. “We’ve argued about this for more than 40 or 50 years. It’s disheartening to see how much this hurts people and I know how big of a hurdle this is for our nation.”

Young was among Lubbock-area church and political leaders eager for a ruling, but hoping for different opinions as the court hears arguments over California’s ban on same-sex marriage and the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 federal law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

West Texas congressmen echoed each other in hoping the court rejects recognizing same-sex marriages.

“States have been able to determine how they want to treat gay marriage in their states,” he said. “Now the Supreme Court may rule those laws are invalid. My personal belief is I still believe marriage is between a man and a woman. We’ll see what the Supreme Court thinks. To me, the people spoke on that issue.”

Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Clarendon, was a freshman member of the House when Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.

“I voted for the Defense of Marriage Act, and I continue to support it,” Thornberry said in a statement Monday, March 25. “While I respect the right of each person to make decisions about his or her own life, I believe that the federal government should only recognize marriage as between one man and one woman.

He added: “That family structure is the central building block of our society.”

Young said he rejects the argument allowing homosexuals the rights of marriage would harm the nation’s social fabric.

“It’s kind of hard to win that debate on that basis because people are already hardened in that view,” he said. “But it’s hard for me to see how allowing same-sex couples to be married affects my marriage. Besides that, we’re not doing all that well with marriage as heterosexuals.”

Both Young and Grace Rogers, a board member for Lubbock’s chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, said they’re uncertain in what direction the court will take its rulings, but were hopeful the Supreme Court will overturn the Defense of Marriage Act and challenge California’s Proposition 8, which California voters approved in a 2008 referendum.

Rogers said she’s hoping for seemingly moderate members of the court, such as Chief Justice John Roberts or Justice Anthony Kennedy, to sway the court in what she compared to past equal rights and slavery debates.

She said Roberts, especially, as the court’s leader, should consider how this decision plays out in the history of the country.

“I don’t think he wants to be the person to make a wrong-headed decision about this,” Rogers said.

Most Rev. Plácido Rodríguez, bishop of Lubbock’s Catholic Diocese, urged the public to pursue more education, discussion and thought on recognizing gay marriage.

Rodriguez likened government recognizing gay marriage to “changing the laws of nature.”

“Government cannot redefine nature,” Rodriguez said.

Both Young and Rogers said in a nation that strives for freedom, no people should be made to feel like second-class citizens.

“I want to see everybody have a chance to have a happy family and have all their rights granted to them,” Young said.